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Flanders Betrayed
12/15/2008 :: Yes, Belgium still has a government. But Prime Minister Yves Leterme has had to pay a heavy price for it; he has had to betray his voters.
Belgium is a kingdom with 60% Dutch-speaking Flemings in Flanders, the northern half of the country, and 40% French-speaking Walloons in Wallonia, its southern half. The Flemish majority has been discriminated against ever since Belgium was created by the international powers in 1831.
In June 2007, Mr Leterme’s Christian-Democrat Party won the general elections with the promise of a constitutional reform that would give Flanders greater regional powers, including the official recognition of the Flemish character of the Halle-Vilvoorde region, the Dutch-speaking area surrounding the capital Brussels.
Deadlock
According to the Belgian Constitution, the Constitution can only be reformed with a two-thirds majority and a majority in both Flanders and Wallonia. However, Wallonia has consistently rejected any reforms that diminish the Walloon privileges. This has led to deep frustration in Flanders. The realization that the democratic will of the majority of the Flemings is being rejected, explains the growing popularity of parties striving for Flemish independence, such as the Vlaams Belang.
To counter the rise of the VB, Mr Leterme’s Christian-Democrats teamed up with the New-Flemish Alliance (N-VA), a party of moderate Flemish-nationalists who aim to transform Belgium into a confederal state. The Christian-Democrats and N-VA went to the elections on a common electoral list and won a huge victory.
No agreement
Following the elections, however, the Walloon politicians consistently vetoed all plans for constitutional reform. This resulted in a political crisis which dragged on for over a year. It took six months before, in December 2007, an “interim government” could be formed which, after three months, paved the way for a Leterme government last March.
For another four months the Leterme government tried to discuss reforming the constitution. Last July, realizing that no agreement could be reached, Mr Leterme offered his resignation to King Albert II. The King, however, refused to accept the resignation and Mr Leterme stayed on, thereby conceding that he would not be able to reform the constitution as he had promised his voters. Last September, the N-VA decided to end its agreement with the Christian-Democrats and join the opposition.
Broken promises
As a result, Belgium is currently being governed by a coalition which has no majority in Flanders but almost unanimous support in Wallonia. Only 42 of the 88 Flemish Members of Parliament support the government, while 53 of the 62 French-speaking MPs do. Indeed, the Leterme government is the least Flemish government in ages, although Mr Leterme won the elections by promising the Flemings more powers.
The Prime Minister says that the current economic crisis does not allow him to live up to his electoral promises. It is unlikely, however, that his voters will forget his promises as easily as he.
Article in issue nº 24
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